Electronics enclosure systems and methods

ABSTRACT

An enclosure assembly for electronic equipment using a housing and a sled. The sled is a combination of a bracket with a skid, the skid preferably of a low friction material, where the sled slides into the housing in order to complete the assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/282,314, filed on Sep. 30, 2016, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/236,423, filed on Oct. 2, 2015,and which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent Ser. No.29/539,973, filed on Sep. 18, 2015, all of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of mechanicalenclosures for electronic equipment, and apparatus that attaches toelectronic equipment.

BACKGROUND

Electronics systems typically are enclosed in a protective enclosure.The enclosure may variously protect the electronics from physicaldamage, protect users of the equipment from unintended interaction withthe electronics such as capacitive coupling or electrical shock, reduceor eliminate unintended electromagnetic transmissions to and from theelectronics, and physically stabilize the electronics to reduce oreliminate undesired coupling between mechanical and electronicsubsystems.

Designing enclosures that provide for these characteristics but alsopermit ease of access when needed is challenging. Access may be desiredfor study and analysis of the electronics, for diagnosis and repair ofthe electronics, or even to permit viewing the internal construction foraesthetic reasons. Generally the operational characteristics of theenclosure that make it most effective for the above purposes also thwarteasy access to the internals. For example, stabilizing the enclosure ormaking it “radio frequency-tight” may entail use of tight-fittingmechanical components, multiple hardware fasteners, and/or complexassembly and disassembly. This tradeoff usually is weighted in favor ofthe operational characteristics of the enclosure; for example, manymodern cell phones or computers are exceedingly difficult to open orrequire special uncommon tools to disassemble. This tradeoff isacceptable where the manufacturer intends that the equipment contains nouser-serviceable parts or subsystems inside.

A special problem arises when the enclosure is to be used foreducational or pedagogical purposes, such as an electronics kit.Ideally, it is desirable to stabilize the kit in an open as well asclosed condition so the electronics can be viewed, diagnosed, learned ortaught, or repaired by the owner. Such systems have the atypicalrequirement that the parts inside are expressly intended to beuser-serviceable; indeed they may have been assembled by the user.

There is therefore a need for an enclosure apparatus, and methods ofmanufacturing it, that facilitates stability of the internal electroniccomponents and provides for ease of user access in an opened condition,and which can be easily opened and closed by its user or owner withsimple or no special tools.

Performance of such a system may be further enhanced if the enclosurecan be opened and closed a very large number of times, far more than iscommon for apparatus with no user-serviceable parts inside, withoutsignificant friction or wear and with a high degree of reliability inthe placement of the electronics subsystems when the enclosure isreassembled to its closed condition, to achieve a high-quality aestheticand functional “fit and finish” of the resulting product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do notnecessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed invention. In thedrawings, the same reference numbers and any acronyms identify elementsor acts with the same or similar structure or functionality for ease ofunderstanding and convenience. To easily identify the discussion of anyparticular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in areference number refer to the Figure number in which that element isfirst introduced (e.g., element 403 is first introduced and discussedwith respect to FIG. 4B).

FIG. 1A. A picture of an exemplary enclosure system from the front andabove, with the internal sled bearing the electronics partially removedfrom the external case in a stable fixed configuration.

FIG. 1B. A drawing of an exemplary enclosure system from the front andabove, with the internal sled bearing the electronics partially removedfrom the external case in a stable fixed configuration.

FIG. 2A. A picture of the exemplary enclosure system from the top, withthe internal sled bearing the electronics partially removed from theexternal case in a stable fixed configuration.

FIG. 2B. A drawing of the exemplary enclosure system from the top, withthe internal sled bearing the electronics partially removed from theexternal case in a stable fixed configuration.

FIG. 3A. A picture of the exemplary enclosure system from above and tothe left in a trimetric perspective view, with the internal sled bearingthe electronics partially removed from the external case in a stablefixed configuration.

FIG. 3B. A drawing of the exemplary enclosure system from above and tothe left in a trimetric perspective view, with the internal sled bearingthe electronics partially removed from the external case in a stablefixed configuration.

FIG. 4A. A picture of the exemplary enclosure system with the internalsled bearing the electronics removed from the external case, in a rightview.

FIG. 4B. A drawing of the exemplary enclosure system with the internalsled bearing the electronics removed from the external case, in a rightview.

FIG. 5A. A picture of the exemplary enclosure system from the bottom,showing the skid.

FIG. 5B. A drawing of the exemplary enclosure system from the bottom,showing the skid.

FIG. 6. A drawing of the exemplary front panel appearance when the sledis inserted into the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various examples of the invention will now be described. The followingdescription provides specific details for a thorough understanding andenabling description of these examples. One skilled in the relevant artwill understand, however, that the invention may be practiced withoutmany of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art willalso understand that the invention can include many other features notdescribed in detail herein. Additionally, some well-known structures orfunctions may not be shown or described in detail below, so as to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the relevant description. The terminology usedbelow is to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, eventhough it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description ofcertain specific examples of the invention. Indeed, certain terms mayeven be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to beinterpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specificallydefined as such in this Detailed Description section.

The invention of an enclosure assembly is disclosed comprising in oneembodiment:

a sled comprising at least two bracket components and two correspondingskid components, said skid components and said bracket componentscomprised of one or a plurality of holes;

one or a plurality of enclosure fasteners having an attachmentmechanism;

said holes of the skid components and bracket components each adapted toaccept one of the attachment mechanisms of a corresponding one of theenclosure fasteners;

a housing comprised of a floor where said sled fits partially or whollywithin said housing, said housing comprised of a plurality of holes inthe floor adapted to permit the attachment mechanism of the enclosurefasteners to pass through; and

said skid component situated so as to reside between the bracketcomponent and the floor of the housing when the sled is partially orfully inserted into the housing.

In another embodiment, the sled fits partially or wholly within saidhousing in either a closed configuration or partially open configurationwith respect to the case or housing, and in either configuration issubstantially stable.

In yet another embodiment, the fastener is a rubber footing that may bethreaded and the holes may be adapted to accept the threaded foot orfastener hardware by being large enough in diameter to permit passage ofthe foot threaded component or fastener. In another embodiment, theholes may be adapted to accept the threaded foot or fastener hardware bybeing tapped with threads so as to permit the foot or fastener to screwinto the hole. In yet another embodiment, the threaded foot or fastenermay pass through one component and screw into the other, such as forexample by passing through the skid and screwing securely into thebracket.

In another embodiment, the skid comprises a material with a lowcoefficient of friction, such as a self-lubricating or low-frictionplastic in contact with the case or housing as the sled is removed fromand inserted into the case or housing. The sled also may be in partialor full contact with the case or housing in the fully closedconfiguration. In one embodiment, screws or other hardware may fasten orbind the skid and bracket sled components together. In anotherembodiment, the skid and sled components may be bound or fastenedtogether by the threaded foot or fastener that also passes through thecase or housing.

In another embodiment, the sled is attached to one or a plurality offront panel components comprising the front of the enclosure, usingscrews or other fasteners. In another embodiment, the sled is attachedto one or a plurality of rear panel components comprising the rear ofthe enclosure, using screws or other fasteners. In one embodiment, aplurality of coplanar or nearly-coplanar front panel components arethemselves attached to each other with screws. Said coplanar or nearlycoplanar front panel components may be made of differing materials. Inone embodiment, said differing materials are metal and wood.

In one embodiment, the holes through which the fasteners pass or intowhich they are threaded are countersunk. For example, FIGS. 5A and 5Bdepict countersunk holes 510 (unnumbered countersunk screws fillingthose holes 510) in a plastic skid 520 which is part of sled 501. Thisoffers the advantage of minimizing or eliminating friction by presentingonly the plastic surface, and no metal fastener hardware, to theadjacent case or housing surface as the sled is moved repeatedly in andout of the case or housing. FIG. 5B also shows corresponding holes 514,in the housing 502, into which multiple feet 402 of FIG. 4B would beinserted. FIG. 5B further shows a hole 512 in the plastic skid 520, anda corresponding hole 516 in the housing 502, through which fastener 403would be inserted.

In one embodiment, one panel of the case is transparent or translucentto permit and facilitate inspection of the electronics and othercomponents within the case or housing including when the assembly is ineither the open or the closed configuration.

In one embodiment, the sled is positioned or attached so as to sit alongthe side or outer edges of the electronics. This sled position offersthe advantage of minimizing obstruction of view and facilitateseffective assembly, modification, diagnosis, and repair of theelectronics subassembly.

In a preferred embodiment, the electronics is suspended above the lowestpart of the sled in contact with the housing using standoffs or spacers.This offers the advantage of facilitating easy access to the electronicscomponents without disassembly, stabilizing the electronics in both theopen and closed configurations, and presenting the electronics forinspection or manipulation.

In a preferred embodiment, the stable partially opened configuration isat the mathematically determinate location that maximizes the removal ofthe sled from the case or housing without causing the center of mass ofthe opened sled to tip the assembly over when positioned on a flat levelsurface. This maximum point can be established by positioning said holesin the sled to extend and cantilever the sled as far as possible out ofthe case or housing while retaining the center of mass over, or withinthe geometric area circumscribed by, the feet under the case or housing.

In one embodiment, the position of the sled relative to the case orhousing in the stable partially-open configuration exposes only thoseelectronics components or subassemblies that are safe for user accesswhile keeping other components or subassemblies contained within thecase or housing.

Turning to FIG. 1B, the sled (101) is shown in an expanded picture withthe sled locked in position in the partially-open configuration, thatis, partly out of the housing (102). The nearly-coplanar wood and metalfront panel components attached to the sled also are depicted.

In FIG. 4B, the sled (401) and its attached electronics have beenremoved from the case or housing, and an exemplary foot (402) andfastener (403) are depicted. In a preferred embodiment, the fastener maybe a threaded thumbscrew. In one embodiment, the foot may contain acaptive threaded stock component. In another embodiment, the foot maycontain a captive screw or a removable screw.

In another embodiment, housing surface planarity and hole locationtolerances in sled and bracket are determined so as to be sufficientlysmall to permit the coplanar or nearly-coplanar front panel surfacesattached to the bracket's 90 degree extensions to be precisely centeredwithin the area of the front of the housing when the sled is insertedinto the housing. See FIG. 6. In one embodiment the thickness of thesled component, the sine of the angle of incidence of the approximatelyperpendicular extension, the compression under attachment and thedensity of the plastic sled component, and the precise position of thesled attachment points to the housing floor are positioned to preciselylocate the front panel within the space of the front of the housingenclosure, when the sled is inserted. In this position, the plane of thefront panel is approximately flush with the edge of the housing when thesled is inserted into the housing and the fasteners attached to bind thesled to the housing through the holes. In another embodiment, thethickness of the sled component, the sine of the angle of incidence ofthe approximately perpendicular extension, the compression underattachment and the density of the plastic skid component, and theposition of the sled attachment points to the cabinet may be empiricallydetermined through measurement so as to precisely locate the front panelwithin the space of the front of the housing enclosure. Themanufacturing tolerance of each such determinative aspect of panelpositioning is then replicably applied during manufacturing of thecomponents to achieve a centered, or other desired, precise positioningof the front panel within the housing when the sled is inserted into thehousing and the fasteners attached to bind the sled to the housing usingthe holes. In a similar manner, the positioning relative to the cabinetof all other panels, such as side, top, bottom, or back panels, may beaccomplished.

The described embodiments of the invention are intended to be exemplaryand numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. All such variations and modifications are intendedto be within the scope of the present invention as defined in theappended claims. Although the present invention has been described andillustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same isby way of illustration and example only, and is not to be taken by wayof limitation. It is appreciated that various features of the inventionwhich are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodimentsmay also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely,various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described inthe context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or inany suitable combination. It is appreciated that the particularembodiment described in the Appendices is intended only to provide anextremely detailed disclosure of the present invention and is notintended to be limiting.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronics enclosure assembly providing aprotective enclosure for electronics, the enclosure assembly comprising:a sled comprising at least two bracket components and two correspondingskid components, said skid components and said bracket componentscomprised of one or a plurality of holes; one or a plurality ofenclosure fasteners having an attachment mechanism; said holes of theskid components and bracket components each adapted to accept one of theattachment mechanisms of a corresponding one of the enclosure fasteners;a housing comprising a floor, said floor having one or a plurality ofholes adapted to permit the attachment mechanism of each of the one or aplurality of enclosure fasteners to pass through, said housing furthercomprising at least one panel that is sufficiently transparent ortranslucent to facilitate inspection of electronics and other componentswithin the enclosure assembly when the sled is partially or fullyinserted into the housing; and said skid component situated so as toreside between the bracket component and the floor of the housing whenthe sled is partially or fully inserted into the housing.
 2. Theenclosure assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one panel is a frontpanel of the housing.
 3. The enclosure assembly of claim 1 wherein theat least one panel is a rear panel of the housing.
 4. The enclosureassembly of claim 1 wherein the sled configurable to be attached andpositioned relative to the electronics so as to enable viewing of theelectronics within the housing.
 5. The enclosure assembly of claim 1wherein the sled is configurable to be attached and positioned relativeto the electronics so as to enable modification of the electronicswithin the housing.
 6. The enclosure assembly of claim 1 wherein theenclosure assembly has a partially-open attached configuration wherein,in the partially-open attached configuration, a position of the sledrelative to the housing exposes only those components that are safe foruser access while keeping other components contained within the housing.7. The enclosure assembly of claim 1 comprising a plurality offasteners, each of the plurality of fasteners comprising a rubberfooting.
 8. The enclosure assembly of claim 7 wherein, for each saidrubber footing, the attachment mechanism passes through the hole in theskid component and is secured by the bracket component.
 9. The enclosureassembly of claim 1 wherein each said attachment mechanism comprises athreaded component and the holes in the bracket components are threadedto permit the threaded fastener to screw into the hole.
 10. Theenclosure assembly of claim 1 where the skid component comprises amaterial with a low coefficient of friction.
 11. The enclosure assemblyof claim 1 where the skid component comprises a self-lubricating orlow-friction plastic.
 12. The enclosure assembly of claim 1 wherein thefastener mechanism passes through the holes in the housing to fasten theskid component and the bracket component together.
 13. The enclosureassembly of claim 1 where each one of the two bracket and skid pairs arelocated proximate to a corresponding first and second sides of thehousing when the sled is inserted into the housing.
 14. The enclosureassembly of claim 1 where the two bracket components are shaped to eachhave at least one extension that is about 90 degrees from the plane ofthe bracket and skid combination.
 15. The enclosure assembly of claim 14where the at least one extension has holes formed therein, the holesadapted to fasten a front or back panel to the housing to complete theenclosure when the sled is inserted into the housing.
 16. The enclosureassembly of claim 1 where at least one first fastener attaches one ofthe skids to one of the brackets, said one fastener extending past thebracket to fasten a circuit card to the bracket and a second fastenerattaches the sled to the floor of the housing by passing through a holein the floor and a corresponding hole in the skid and attaching to thebracket.
 17. The enclosure assembly of claim 16 where the skid componentis comprised of a material with a low coefficient of friction.
 18. Theenclosure assembly of claim 1 where said holes in the sled arepositioned to cantilever the sled as far as possible out of the housingwhile retaining the center of mass within the geometric areacircumscribed by housing.
 19. The enclosure assembly of claim 1 whereina housing surface planarity and a plurality of locations correspondingto the plurality of holes in the sled component and bracket componenteach have tolerances that are sufficiently small to permit a panelsurface attached to the about 90 degree bracket extensions to besufficiently precisely and reliably centered within the front of thehousing when the sled is repeatedly inserted into the housing and thefasteners attached to bind the sled to the housing through the holes sothat light appears uniformly around the panel surface when the sled isinserted into the housing.
 20. A method of precision manufacturing anelectronic enclosure comprising a housing and a panel preciselypositioned within an area of the housing when a sled having a plasticcomponent of known density to which said panel is attached by at leastone bracket having an approximately perpendicular extension is insertedinto the housing, the method comprising: determining a thickness of thesled; determining a sine of an angle of incidence of the approximatelyperpendicular bracket extension; configuring an amount of compressionapplied to the sled to be attached to the enclosure; determining preciselocations of attachment points of the sled to a floor of the housing,and locating holes at those attachment points in the housing, so thatfasteners attached to the sled bind the sled to the housing through theholes at the attachment points; determining tolerances for the enclosureand attachment points to maintain the panel centered within the housingwhen the sled is inserted into the housing; and repeatably locating theattachment points and determining the tolerances during manufacturing topermit precise positioning of the panel relative to the housing.